Coffee Grounds and Cinnamon Stars
by Bluefeathermuse
Summary: "I tried to believe it; it was better without you. I was safer alone." After living in Oak Tree Town for three years, Annie was sure that the hardest parts were behind her. But there are some things in life that you just can't avoid forever, like midnight cups of coffee and long kisses under the stars.
1. A Funny Feeling

**Quick Info~**

Why hello there Harvest Moon and fanfiction community! It's been far too long! With University coming to an end for the summer and with the release of Story of Seasons, I thought I would celebrate with my first official chaptered fic (on this account). I can't believe just how great this game is and, admittedly, I haven't even explored all of the wonderful things to explore within Oak Tree Town.

So anyway, just a few basic things before I unleash this little story of mine: I don't have an update schedule because I don't want to disappoint readers if something comes up and I can't stick to it. I would like to update weekly though, if work/vacation/etc. allows it. This story will be rated T, but there will most likely be language and a few suggestive situations. However, readers will be properly warned before the start of each chapter just in case you aren't into that sort of thing. This will also be the _only_ chapter where Raeger's flower events play a role, so if you aren't into reading stories with themes or dialogue from the game inserted into the story, fear not! The rest of the chapters have nothing to do with his events. Also, for those of you who may not know yet, Annie is NOT an OC. She's just the English version of Minori (like Akari vs Angela or Rio vs Rachel).

I absolutely love writing and the wonderful people in this fandom so please don't hesitate to PM me or leave a review with comments/questions/general stuff. I will reply as hastily as possible! :)

Without further ado, I present to you: "Coffee Grounds and Cinnamon Stars"

* * *

She pushed against the lake floor and emerged on the surface with a soaking mop of tangled, partially braided hair. She inhaled, greedily taking in the last few whiffs of spring.

Treading water, she reared back and threw her newest catch onto the grass with a collection of clams, an ore or two, and even a few broken bottles. Then she hoisted herself onto the dock and began to ring her hair out into the water.

When Annie first moved to Oak Tree Town, she was entirely too squeamish about taking off her clothes while gathering fish and materials. However, after living there for three years, she came to realize that no one was even awake early in the morning to see her swim in her undergarments.

Standing, she stretched and let the steadily growing heat from the sun dry the rest of her body. She walked to a nearby tree where she draped her clothes over a branch and grabbed her dress. She brought it up over her head and began to tug downward, fumbling with the thick layers of fabric.

"Not only is my farm superior, but it appears my body is as well." A girlish, almost melodic sound broke through the serene morning air and occasional bird chirp.

Annie quickly pulled her dress down and opened her eyes to golden waves of hair and lots and lots of pink. Elise.

"I'm only kidding. If there were any riches I didn't inherit, it was definitely a petite frame," she said, laughing slightly.

Elise was one of the most beautiful women Annie had ever encountered. She had the fierceness and intensity of a lion with the appearance of a porcelain doll. Every step she took was filled with an equal amount of elegance and ferocity. Annie was sure that Elise hated her the first time they met, but after a few seasons, they had become best friends.

"Why are you awake so early?" Annie asked, smoothing the front of her apron with her palms.

"Mistel and Iris are hosting an antique showcase next week and I have to go convince Raeger to use my crops when he caters it. Daddy says it'll be one of the biggest events Oak Tree Town has ever held," Elise said.

"If you really are the best in town then he shouldn't have a problem using them, right?"

Elise smiled slyly. "Yeah, well you know Raeger. He's all about the freshest ingredients and ever since Daddy expanded to the City he thinks we've been using harmful chemicals on the crops."

"Have you?" Annie looked absently down the trail, only half listening to what Elise was saying.

If it was true that Raeger didn't want Elise's crops, perhaps she had a shot at having big-name city folk taste her work instead.

Elise laughed and waved the comment away with her hand. "Of course not! But, just between you and me, whatever it takes to get to the top is worth it."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from your family," Annie said, shaking her head, her lips curling into a playful smirk. "Anyway, I've got to see if a vendor is finally in town so I can sell all of this." She gestured towards the pile of assorted river goods still lying on the grass.

Elise stuck out her tongue in disgust. "The times I count my blessings per day must give the Harvest Goddess headaches."

Annie bid Elise goodbye and went to gather her things. Opening her backpack, she began to stuff it full with her daily gatherings. The amount of times she had to clean the thing so that it wouldn't start smelling was ungodly.

Swinging the pack over her shoulder, she made her way into the town. The hustle and bustle of Oak Tree Town wasn't even close to comparing to the City. She rarely saw people outside, unless their shops were closed for the day. Some days Annie liked how quiet things were and other times it felt like the loneliest thing on the planet.

When she entered the trade depot, she nearly threw her pack across the circle. Slumping in defeat, she trudged over to where Jonas was visibly shrinking away from her by the second.

"I've lived here for how many years now and I still can't remember when people take their days off?" Annie propped her elbow up on the counter and sunk her chin into her palm.

"Three, Miss Annie," Jonas answered. "Would you like to check the schedule?"

"Lay it on me," she said as Jonas pulled out a tattered notebook from behind his workstation.

She looked at the scribbled dates and names of the various trade depots and shook her head. Handing the notebook back to Jonas, she bowed her head in a combination of gratefulness and embarrassment.

"Thank you. Sorry you've got to put up with my constant forgetfulness," she said, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.

"Thanks to you I'm still in business so the least I can do is let you check the ol' schedule," Jonas said.

"I'll be back tomorrow," she said, turning on her heel and walking back towards the town.

Mentally cursing herself, Annie walked past Raeger's restaurant and, as if on cue, her stomach growled. She only had enough coins left to fill one pocket and was hoping to make most of her money back at the trade depot. However, Annie rarely allowed herself to splurge on food and Raeger was quite the cook. She might even convince him to let her volunteer her crops for the antique showcase.

She paused, teetering on the top step of the restaurant, and thought about Elise. Was she really going to try and take something away from her best friend? Although, Elise was quite aware of the rivalry that they inevitably had as farmers. Fritz and Georgio were all too aware of this as well. The exhaustion that having a rivalry outside of farm work caused wasn't worth it, though, and the four had grown to become good friends throughout the seasons. Annie was sure that Elise wouldn't mind if she took the chance to boost her farm's publicity. It was just business, right?

When she opened the door to the restaurant, Elise was gone. Stepping inside, she saw Raeger scrubbing at some sort of miniscule spot on the counter with a washcloth.

"Oh, hello, Annie!" he said, not looking up from his work.

"Hey," she said, setting her stuff down on one of the barstools and sitting next to it.

"Are you here to try and convince me that your crops are superior to the rest of the farmers and that I should use yours for the antique show next week?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

Annie's eyes widened and she found herself flushing in defense. "What? No. No, of course not! Why would I—"

Raeger stared at her, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Elise came by earlier, so I had a hunch I'd be seeing you or Fritz sooner rather than later. My money was on Fritz, to be honest."

Annie fumbled with her words momentarily, trying to think up a good excuse in place of why she was really there. "Well you can keep your money because I'm not here for that," she said finally.

"Oh yeah? What other reason would you have for conveniently dropping by?" Raeger leaned forward, his eyes boring through her skull with a combination of mischief and amusement.

She felt her cheeks burn. "I, umm, just wanted to try a new dish," she said, the last few words dropping off with a squeak.

Raeger stared at her for a moment, then straightened and nodded. "Well you're in luck because I just made a new dessert that I'm thinking of putting on the menu."

In an instant, it was like he became an entirely different person. He grabbed Annie's hand and brought her to a nearby table before pulling out her chair and sitting her down on it. He hurriedly disappeared into the kitchen and emerged a few moments later with a silver platter balanced on his palm. He set the tray in front of her and Annie could immediately smell the warm aroma of fresh strawberry cake.

She picked up the fork and glanced at Raeger out of the corner of her eye. He was positively beaming at her, his eyes brighter and bluer than she thought humanly possible. Sinking her fork into it, its moistness was undeniable. She practically inhaled the first bite.

"What do you think?" Raeger asked as she swallowed.

She thought about it for a moment, resisting the urge to blurt out how incredible she thought it was. No, she knew Raeger better than that.

"It's good but it would probably be even better with lemon," she said, setting her fork down on the plate to look up at him.

His smile slowly began to fade as a look of horror took its stead. He smacked a hand to his forehead and quickly rushed back into the kitchen.

"I can't believe I forgot the lemon glaze!" he yelled as Annie heard the opening and closing of various cabinets.

He hurried back with a ladle filled with yellow liquid and drizzled it over the top of her cake. Annie took another bite and could hardly contain the wide smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry," Raeger said, shaking his head as she finished the piece. "But I am impressed that you caught onto something like that."

"You know me. Always the dessert connoisseur," Annie said lamely.

Raeger laughed and his expression softened when he looked at her. "You know I'm not stupid, right?"

"What?"

"You never come in here just to eat. You're far too frugal," he continued.

"Oh," Annie said, dropping her gaze from him to the table. "Sorry."

Suddenly, she felt his thumb gently tuck underneath her chin and lift her face to once again meet his gaze.

"You didn't let me finish," he said. "You impressed me with your comment about the lemon. Strawberry-lemonade cake can't live up to its name with one half of it missing. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'll take a look at your farm and consider your crops."

"Really?" The excitement in her voice was hard to contain. "Wow, Raeger, thank you. I don't know what to say."

"Just promise me something, okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, anything."

"You need to come back and taste all of my new dishes."

He was staring at her intently, like he had just asked her one of the most serious questions in the world. She felt a strange fluttering in her stomach and quickly averted her gaze to get rid of the feeling.

"Oh, yes. Of course," she said, brushing her shoe against the tile floor awkwardly.

Raeger smiled. "Good. Have a great day, Annie."

She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she replied, "Thanks. You, too."


	2. The Raeger Bug

**Quick Info~**

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for joining me in the second chapter of CGACS! I can't wait for you all to check it out. To those of you who read/commented/favorited/followed the first chapter, a HUGE thank you goes out to you! The title of this chapter makes me giggle in the worst way because shortly after I titled it, I found out that Raeger's dialogue is actually bugged in game. So technically, he IS a Raeger bug. I'm laughing at my own jokes here... Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter! Please never hesitate to let me know what you're thinking; I'm always interested in hearing what worked well and what I could improve upon further. 

* * *

"'Have a great day, Annie'?" Lillie was laughing, her back turned to Annie as she folded her little sister's clothes and placed them in a dresser drawer.

"Yeah," Annie said, flopping backwards onto the bed and resting her hands on her stomach, her eyes glued to the ceiling.

"That's really what you're so worked up about?"

"When you say it like that it makes it sound insignificant," Annie grumbled.

"That's because it _is _insignificant. I could walk in there right now and he'd probably say the exact same thing to me when I left," Lillie said, turning around and dramatically gesturing with her hands in the same manner that she did when reporting the weather.

Annie sat up and began to fidget with her apron. "It wasn't what he said but how he said it."

Lillie sighed and sat beside Annie. "He's a flirt. In the past three years that you've known him, how many of us girls have had crushes on him?"

Annie thought about it for a moment, although the answer came to her almost immediately. "All of us," she said.

Lillie nodded. "You're just the unlucky last one to catch the Raeger bug."

Annie felt irritation begin to bubble in the pit of her stomach again. "I've lived here for three years. Three long years. I've experienced love and even death with you guys, but I specifically avoided romantic attraction because of that. We're like a giant family and if I thought that if I ever liked someone it would be like throwing a bowling ball into a neatly set up row of pins."

Annie was frustrated after she visited Raeger the previous day. She immediately went back to her farm after speaking with him and didn't come back into town until the next day. Instead, she angrily tilled plots of land and slammed her hand down on top of the newly planted turnips. She even muttered to herself while she milked her cows and brushed her sheep.

The only reason she decided to go into town was to talk to Lillie specifically. Lillie had caught what she called the 'Raeger bug' within the first few months that Annie moved to Oak Tree Town. She had it bad, too. It got to the point where she would come back from her job in the city just to visit him for her lunch break. Eventually, the crush faded—thanks to Iris—and Agate was the next to take up the torch.

"He's just so unobtainable," Lillie continued, staring directly at her feet with such intense concentration that Annie was scared her eyes might pop out of her head. "One minute it seems like he's flirting with you and the next it's like you don't even exist outside of his restaurant."

Annie suddenly felt bad. She shouldn't have asked Lillie for advice. Hell, she shouldn't have even let her find out. The wound that Raeger left on her heart apparently hadn't healed the way that everyone thought it had.

"Yeah, you're right," Annie said, swallowing her feelings in one giant gulp. "He just uses it for business."

Lillie looked at her with sorrowful blue eyes. "Sorry," she said, shaking her head and forcing her lips to curve upward in an awkward, half-smile. "I'm completely over it. It's just awful wishful thinking coming up again."

"I'm sorry I even asked," Annie said, pulling Lillie in for a hug.

When they released, Annie stood up and walked towards the door.

"I've got to get going," she said. "Thanks, though."

Lillie nodded, although Annie could tell she wasn't really there anymore. She mentally kicked herself all the way back to her farm and trudged towards the water basin to fill up her watering can.

She glanced at her reflection in the water and realized just how similar she looked to some of the other girls in town. Plain brown hair that she shared with Lillie, Agate, and Angela. Dull green eyes that paled in comparison to Elise's. And even if she did have a fantastic personality, Iris and Licorice beat her to the punch on that one. If Raeger hadn't gone for any of them, there was no way in hell he would even attempt to go for her.

But when she really thought about it, why did she really care?

"So this is where the magic happens?"

Annie froze, a drop falling from her watering can into the basin and obscuring her view with ripples. Eventually, she managed to turn around to see Raeger. He was casually standing in the middle of her farm with his hands in his pockets and his eyes lazily fixed on hers.

"What are you—" Annie started to say, but quickly found the rest of her sentence had been obliterated into a jumbled mess inside of her brain.

"Doing here?" Raeger offered.

She nodded.

"I promised I would evaluate your crops for the showcase. The restaurant was pretty slow today so I figured I'd stop by."

"But you never quit working," Annie said, shaking her head as she tried to justify the situation.

Raeger shrugged. "This is sort of work, technically speaking. Although I think this will be far less lonely for both of us."

When he smiled, Annie felt her grip on the watering can loosen. About one fourth of the contents spilled down the side of her leg and settled in her shoe.

"Damn it," she cursed under her breath and turned around to fill the can again.

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment while Raeger merely laughed at her expense. Part of her wanted to be angry with him and another part of her—the confused, slightly insane part—wanted to laugh with him.

"Is now a bad time?" he asked, clearing his throat.

She spun around again. "No, not at all. But if you're just going to stand here and laugh at me then maybe you should come back."

Raeger's eyes widened and he held up his hands in earnest defense. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

Annie sighed. "It's fine. It's just sort of been a long day."

"Was it your visit with Lillie?" he asked and she could tell he instantly regretted asking.

With her lips quirking into a smirk, Annie realized that Raeger had been watching her. Or at least, he had glanced out the window long enough to notice her walking into the Inn.

"How did you know I was with Lillie?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest as sassily as she could with a watering can in tow.

He began to splutter for a moment and she saw a glimpse of him that she was sure no one in the town had seen before—his lack of confidence. "I just happened to be looking out the window at the right time. Why do_ you_ care?"

Now he was the one sporting a satisfied grin as Annie floundered.

"I don't," she said, firmly enough to convince him as she tried to convince herself of the same thing.

Raeger nodded. "Alright then. Since I came here for one thing, I guess we should get to work."

Annie was grateful for the sudden shift in conversation. He wasn't really one to dwell on things others didn't want to talk about.

"Okay," she said. "Where do you want to start?"

Raeger placed one hand on his chin in thought as he surveyed the fields. Annie watched him curiously, wondering just how many farms he had seen in the past. Judging by the way he didn't want to test the soil or inspect the leaves or even really walk around the plot must have shown his experience.

"So," he said after a moment, nodding like he had come to a conclusion. "I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for."

Oh.

"Well I don't exactly know what you're looking for, either. Elise said something about using chemicals to make the crops grow differently. Not only have I never considered that, but I don't even have the funds to afford that sort of stuff," Annie said, her nerves beginning to fade as she settled into her element.

Raeger nodded. "Yeah, that's good. My grandfather always said that crops that grow naturally taste better. So what are you growing?"

"Right now in this plot that you're looking at, I'm only growing turnips, but I also have potatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and cabbage," Annie explained, gesturing to a variety of fields on her farm.

"Which would be ready by next week?" Raeger asked.

"I always have some stored in my fridge, just in case. Most of the crops are close to being ready for harvesting, though, so they'll all be ready by next week."

"You'd just let me take them without anything in return?"

Annie grinned at him mischievously. "Not exactly. If anyone compliments your dishes, you have to tell them where you got your ingredients."

"Ah, so this is a publicity stunt?"

Raeger was smiling back at her and she was sure that looking at his eyes for too long was a surefire way to induce heart palpitations.

"Precisely. You didn't think I'd just give it to you for free because we're friends, did you?" Annie elbowed him playfully in the side.

"To be honest, I figured you'd want something tangible," he said, his voice immediately shifting into that same, smooth tenor that he often used to coax people into coming back to his restaurant.

Annie's heart leapt into her throat and she felt her cheeks burn again. "Something…tangible?" she asked, her voice a strained squeak.

"Yeah, like two free meals a week for the next year or something," Raeger said, straightening and returning back to the indifferent man she knew.

"O-oh," Annie said, locking her gaze on the ground. "Yeah, don't worry about that. Just the publicity is more than fine."

Raeger nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll drop by in a few days to pick out what I want to use. Don't overwork yourself, though."

Annie rolled her eyes. For someone who constantly overworked, he was always the first to scold others about it.

"Okay," she said. "Thanks again for doing this with me."

"Annie?" Raeger turned his head to the side to address her as he walked away.

"Yeah?"

"Your passion for farm work is really attractive," he said, flashing her a brilliant smile and eyeing her through strands of chestnut brown hair.

She nodded feebly, unsure of what to say in response. Instead of shutting down, a thousand different things tried to leap to the front of her tongue. Everything jumbled up and, she was sure if she opened her mouth, a whole slew of words that didn't match up together would come tumbling out. If this was a side effect of the infamous 'Raeger bug,' then she was most definitely infected.


	3. When it Rains

**Quick Info~**

I'm so excited to present Chapter Three! It's 1:50 AM right now and I have been editing and working on this chapter all week. My perfectionist curse comes into play all-too-often when I'm trying to write... Anyway, the amount of love and encouragement that you guys are all giving this story and me is completely baffling. My fear of writing chaptered fics is fading by the day and that's all thanks to you wonderful people! It's a bit of a cliffhanger, but I assure you that you'll like what I have in store. ;) Also, the horse's name is Millie because of my recent obsession with an anime called Code Geass. What's a fanfiction without a little bit of weeaboo thrown in?

As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter and please don't hesitate to let me know how I can improve/what you liked/etc. :)

* * *

Annie had a hard time sleeping the next few nights. She did her best to avoid going into town as much as possible, only emerging from her farmland when she needed to sell things.

She did, however, keep a watchful eye on a few specific crops for when Raeger inevitably returned to collect his ingredients. Just looking at them grow was enough to send her stomach into a frenzy of butterflies.

When her alarm sounded, she slapped her hand over it to make it stop. She had been awake for hours by that point, staring at the ceiling and waiting for what seemed like an eternity for rays of light to finally break through her curtains and shine on the walls. It must have been around five in the morning when she realized that the sun wasn't going to be shining that day. The pitter-patter of raindrops peppered her roof and a cool draft emitted from her door and windows.

Stretching, she walked over to the mirror and took a brush out from the drawer underneath the sink. She yanked at her hair with the brush, trying to rid it of all of the tangles. A wet braid was the last thing she needed and, although she had a personal vendetta against wearing her hair in all of it's full, frizzy glory, she figured wearing it down for one day wouldn't kill her.

When she opened the front door, the rain was coming down in drops larger than usual, hitting the ground with a sound similar to hail. She glanced around her property, grateful that she wouldn't have to water her crops. Then, amidst the loud splattering sound of raindrops hitting the front porch, she heard a whinny.

She snapped her head to the side, immediately fearing what she knew she would find. Millie, her horse, was standing in the rain, water droplets pouring down her sleek mane and onto a plot of waterlogged grass. She braced herself as she rushed across the farm, her feet splashing mud onto her nightgown with every step.

"I'm so sorry, Millie!" Annie said, flinging her arms around the horse's neck and resting her head against Millie's long snout.

Grabbing the reigns, she led Millie towards the barn. As she threw the door open, she felt her shoulders tense, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

Her sheep were resting in a fluffy mass and Millie made her way to the feeding trough. But Hanako, her cow, was nowhere to be found. Annie's eyes darted around the barn, praying that she just overlooked Hanako and that she was merely snuggled up in some hay or something.

"Hanako!" Annie called desperately, standing on her tiptoes to rifle through the bin of cow treats. "If you come out I'll give you a treat!"

When Hanako didn't miraculously appear, Annie felt her heart begin to race. She had to find her. Not only was Hanako Annie's first animal, but she originally belonged to Eda. Losing her would be like losing one of the last few traces of Eda's memory.

Sprinting back out into the rain, Annie shielded her eyes from the droplets and squinted. Hanako couldn't have gone too far in weather like this. She was probably just searching for a place to escape the rain, since Annie had been too stupid to remember to bring her animals in from the previous day.

Eda's old farm. Yes. That's probably where she went.

Except she wasn't. Hanako wasn't in the forest or by the lake. She didn't seek solace with Fritz, Georgio, or Elise. It was like she vanished off the face of the earth.

Annie was soaked to the bone and shivering by the time she finally made into town. Her hair was drooping in stringy, limp strands and her nightgown clung to her body like static electricity. But still, she pressed on.

"Annie?"

She didn't respond. In fact, Raeger wasn't sure she even heard him.

"Annie?!" he yelled, hanging his head out of the door to his restaurant.

She eventually heard him and whipped her head in his direction, half hoping that he somehow stashed Hanako away in one of the booths.

"I can't talk right now," she yelled back.

"What are you even doing?"

Annie shook her head as her throat began to tighten. She felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes as she let the fear that was slowly bubbling inside of her explode. "Hanako ran away!" she eventually managed to say, her voice cracking as she choked back a sob.

Raeger nodded, seeming to understand the gravity of the situation, and closed the door behind him. Annie hesitated, wondering if he was going to help her or force her to take shelter until the storm ended.

Thankfully, it seemed to be the former.

"Where have you looked?" he asked as he attempted to shield them both from the rain with his arms.

"Pretty much everywhere. The trade depot and one of the fields up near my farm are the only two places I haven't looked," Annie said, her heart beating so hard against her chest she felt like she might double over.

"Then let's start with the trade depot since we're right here."

Raeger led the way and Annie was grateful for his sudden but convenient volunteerism. Any awkward feelings she had towards him were lost in the sea of worry that her brain was churning around like a hurricane. Right now, he was just a friendly face willing to help.

When Hanako was nowhere to be found at the trade depot, Raeger instantly whisked Annie off to the next location. He wasted no time dawdling or panicking—he left that up to Annie—and instead took on a role of leadership and support.

She watched him, wide-eyed as he confidently pushed through the rain. Somewhere along the line she vaguely noticed his fingers slip through hers. When she glanced at their intertwined hands, she felt a surge of heat press into her palm and up through her veins.

"Hanako," Annie said, breathless as they stopped near one of Elise's many fields.

Hanako looked up at her with large, brown eyes and continued to eat the crops growing in the plot. Raeger let go of Annie's hand and she sprinted towards the cow. Throwing her arms around Hanako, Annie buried her face in her wet fur.

"Don't ever disappear on me like that again," Annie whispered. "I'm so sorry I forgot to let you inside."

Raeger stood back and smiled, watching Annie talk to Hanako like they had been friends for forever. In some ways, they had been friends forever.

"I don't want to break up your reunion, but this storm is getting worse. We should be heading back," Raeger said, attempting to traipse through the muddy grass.

Annie nodded and grabbed the rope around Hanako's neck, tugging gently to get her to move. Hanako was obedient since it was Eda that trained her; it was pretty impossible to even attempt to disagree with anything Eda wanted.

When Hanako was safely back in her barn, Annie invited Raeger inside her house to escape the rain.

"Do you want some coffee?" Annie asked, flipping on the light switch and heading towards the stove.

"Yes, please," Raeger said, shaking his head and launching droplets of water all over the carpet.

Annie swallowed hard. Now that the panic had settled, thoughts of her strange feelings towards Raeger came screaming back into the front of her mind. Shakily, she stuck the kettle underneath the faucet and turned on the burner.

"Where did you manage to find coffee grounds?" Raeger asked, almost immediately at her side in the kitchen.

"Silk Country," Annie said. "They're pretty expensive and only make a few cups, but when you wake up at six in the morning they're sort of a necessity."

Raeger nodded. "My grandfather never drank coffee, but when I turned fifteen and tried to juggle school with working full-time, he knew that I wouldn't be able to function without it."

"Smart man," Annie said, standing on her tiptoes to try and reach for mugs she kept inconveniently on the top shelf.

"I've got it," Raeger said, reaching above her and grabbing the mugs with ease.

Annie had to admit that despite the strength she gathered from farming, she was probably one of the shortest people on the island. She clocked in at a measly 5'2, while Raeger was easily 6'0.

"Thanks, but I could've gotten it," she muttered.

"I know," Raeger said, the lightness in his voice catching her off guard. "But sometimes it's okay to ask for help."

"You've already helped enough with finding Hanako. Go relax," Annie said, pointing to the couch.

Raeger held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright. But if you forget that the water is boiling it isn't my fault."

Annie opened her mouth to retort but decided against it. Instead, she turned her back to him and continued watching the kettle. There was no way he was going to let her melt into a puddle of goop that easily.

"I know it's not very decent, but is there anywhere I can put this shirt before I catch pneumonia?" Raeger asked.

Annie froze, unable to answer him or even move. She knew the second that she turned around what she would find, and if the slack jawed look she gave him wasn't going to give away her little crush, her sudden muteness definitely would. Instead, she thought of her conversation with Lillie and mustered up all of the courage she had to face him.

Sure enough, he was holding his dripping shirt in one hand while the rest of his torso remained completely exposed. Annie tried not to gawk. After all, she had only seen one man on the island shirtless before. The freckles that covered Fritz's shoulders were definitely adorable, but didn't even come close to how Raeger looked.

His olive skin was shining ever so slightly with rainwater. He had impressive broad shoulders with two perfectly symmetrical collarbones. His abs were visible, but not prominent—natural and just enough to match his slender frame. His body was almost completely devoid of hair, except for a little trail traveling from his belly button down to his…

Annie stopped and forced her eyes to stay locked on his eyes. He didn't seem to catch her staring, though, so she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding in.

"This isn't a problem is it?" Raeger asked, holding out his arms and looking down at his chest.

"What? No, no! Not at all!" Annie said, and then quickly cleared her throat as Raeger glanced up at her with mischievously raised eyebrows. "I just mean that I wouldn't want to be the reason why you caught a cold or pneumonia."

"Well your nightgown isn't exactly dry_,_ either."

He sat absently on the couch and began to run his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame the strands that were starting to awkwardly half-curl. Annie glanced down and realized that not only was she wearing a nightgown that barely covered her butt, but that the middle of the gown was see-through. She clutched her stomach in embarrassment, but it didn't matter. He was entirely uninterested in it.

"Let me go change," Annie said quietly.

She emerged from the closet a moment later with a large sweatshirt and plaid pajama bottoms. Her hair was drying in long waves and almost engulfed her tiny frame with its volume.

She sighed and sat beside Raeger before turning on the television.

Lillie was standing enthusiastically behind a map of the town covered in green splotches. Rain.

"And it seems like it won't be letting up any time soon! So don't forget to lock up your animals, lock up your loved ones, and snuggle in for a long, stormy night," Lillie said, gesturing to the giant green patch and smiling a dazzlingly white smile.

Annie chewed her lower lip nervously. Raeger couldn't go back out there. She wouldn't let him. If something happened to him she would never forgive herself. But if he didn't go back home, then he would have to spend the night with her…

She had to act fast. Make the conversation as casual as possible while still refusing to let him try and make it back to the restaurant. It shouldn't be that hard, right?

"I know it's not very big, but there will be space enough for the two of us for one night," she said clenching and unclenching her fists on her thighs.

"I'll take the couch," Raeger said.

"No way." Annie shook her head. "I got you into this mess, so _you _get the comfy bed."

"Or, you know if you were comfortable with it, we could both share your bed," Raeger suggested, and his nonchalant tone paled in comparison to the gravity of his words.


	4. Coffee Grounds

**Quick Info~**

Yay! Chapter Four is finally here! After leaving you guys with a cliffhanger, I hope that this chapter will satisfy some of your curiosities! I really hope that it meets your expectations! Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think :) It's a little bit shorter due to the way I've outlined future chapters, but I think it fits its purpose well. To those of you following/favoriting/reviewing/reading, thank you once again! I could probably say thank you a million times and still not feel like I've thanked you enough!

* * *

"I'm sorry, what?" Annie blinked once, then twice, and stared at Raeger incredulously.

He merely shrugged. "It was just a suggestion. If you don't like it, just say no and I'll gladly take the couch."

"You're a guest. The couch is off-limits," Annie said, feeling her stomach flip-flop despite the strength in her voice.

"And you kindly took me in. You deserve to sleep in your own bed."

"We're not going to agree on this." Annie shook her head and she wondered if he could feel the heat she was sure was radiating off of her cheeks.

"Seems like it," Raeger agreed. "But just so you know, I would never—"

"No, I wasn't implying that—"

"—do anything inappropriate."

"—you want to _sleep _with me," Annie finished.

They both stared at each other, Annie's horrified expression combatting Raeger's detached tone. He managed to put things so mildly, like every syllable of his sentence was engulfed in casual bluntness. Annie, however, barreled through her words with the suavity of a bull in a china shop.

Raeger's eyes widened as the faintest tint of pink popped up on his cheeks.

"I guess that falls under the category of inappropriate," he said, his voice quiet yet still slightly amused.

"Sorry," Annie said. "I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that—"

"The rumors?" Raeger raised his eyebrows.

"What?" Annie asked.

He laughed and Annie blinked in confusion.

"You're not going to legitimately tell me that you haven't heard the thousands of rumors about my playboy past?"

Annie thought back to her conversation with Lillie. All of the girls had had crushes on Raeger. Sometimes girls from the City would occasionally visit to give him flowers or chocolates on holidays, but Annie couldn't recall a time that he returned their affections.

"Having girls fawn over you doesn't make you a playboy," Annie said.

The kettle began to whistle loudly as Raeger contemplated Annie's statement. He was right; she did forget about it. Annie stood and made her way over to the stove. She poured the hot water into a carafe packed neatly to the brim with coffee grounds. She hoped Raeger liked his coffee strong.

"You've got to be one of the most open-minded people in this town, then," he said, turning around on the couch to face her while she worked.

Annie quirked an eyebrow, unsure whether or not he was complimenting her. "Well I don't know about that, but I do know that you haven't given me a reason to believe what people say."

She poured the coffee into two mugs and carried them over to the couch. She handed him one mug and then cupped her hands around her own, feeling warmth seep back into her palms.

Raeger laughed, brushing one finger around the rim of the mug absently. "I don't think I can say the same about you, though."

"What?" Annie asked, bringing the mug to her lips.

"A lot of the guys in town say you're one of the most beautiful girls they've ever met, and I've got to tell you that I do believe what they say," Raeger said, smiling at her.

Annie felt the coffee hit her throat at an alarmingly hot temperature. Choking, she attempted to set the mug down but only managed to spill it all over the couch. Sheepishly, she looked up at him and cleared her throat, her eyes watering.

"I'll go grab some paper towels," she said, quickly standing and rushing towards the sink.

Raeger merely chuckled and stood to help her. Annie was entirely flustered by the sudden turn of events and couldn't focus on anything that wasn't Raeger. He had just told her that he thought she was beautiful. And, not only that, but he had told her after he suggested that they sleep together…all while remaining shirtless.

Part of her was hoping that this was all some giant prank orchestrated by the townspeople. She hoped that Raeger was in on it and that the town just wanted to see their tough-as-nails farmer clumsily make a fool of herself. Feelings were too real and far too scary, especially with someone as confident as Raeger was.

"Looks like it'll take awhile for this to dry. It got underneath the cushions," Annie said, bending over and pressing the last paper towel against the soaked fabric.

"I'm sorry if I caused this," Raeger said, his face only a few inches from hers as he dabbed his own paper towel against the cushion.

"No, the heat of the drink just caught me off guard," she lied.

Raeger nodded and kept quiet, although she was sure he saw through her thinly veiled attempt. After they had cleaned as much as they could reach, Annie threw the wad of coffee-scented paper products into the trash and placed her hands on her hips.

"I don't know about you but today has been one of the longest days and I'm ready to go to bed," she said, exhaustion replacing the thoughts swirling around in her brain.

"So does this mean you're going to take me up on my offer?" Raeger asked.

She shrugged. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Looks like it."

"Well played, Raeger," she said, a flirty smile making it's way across her face.

"I promise I'll be the perfect gentleman," he said, smiling back in his own nonchalantly flirty way.

When they climbed into bed, Annie felt like every move she made was awkward. She couldn't grab too much of the covers and she definitely couldn't sprawl out like she usually did. It was like no matter where she moved he was there. His skin was warm and smooth, and her fingertips found themselves wanting to trace every inch of him. But instead, she resorted to awkwardly curling up against the wall, her back to him.

"We both might be more comfortable if we at least try and act like the other doesn't have the plague," Raeger whispered, turning his head to the side to face her.

"I wish I was awake enough to argue with you," Annie mumbled, rolling over and finding him there.

She nestled into his chest and felt his hand cup the curve of her waist gently. She placed one hand in the space where his left collarbone ended, but before his right collarbone began. She felt his heart beating slowly underneath her fingertips. Blinking a few times, she stared into the night and wondered if he could possibly know how fast her own heart was beating.


	5. Taste Testing

**Quick Info~**

Guys. I'm super excited about this chapter. I'm always super excited about everything, but this chapter is quite something. Anyway, the plot is about to thicken! Also, I've noticed that you never cook anything with meat ingredients in Harvest Moon games. Probably because you raise animals? No matter what the reasoning, I've chosen to make Annie a vegetarian. Thank you to all of the lovely people reading/reviewing/favoriting/following! I will never cease to be amazed by the responses and love the Harvest Moon community has. This fandom is quite something! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I hope it doesn't make you TOO hungry. ;) 

* * *

Annie panicked when she woke up. First and foremost because it was already seven in the morning and she slept an hour later than usual, but also because of Raeger. The few peaceful seconds that she had when she woke up ended abruptly the second she felt his warm body beside her.

"Raeger," Annie whispered, gingerly touching his shoulder and shaking it.

"Mmorffhnh," Raeger mumbled inaudibly, brushing her hand away.

She stared at him as she let her hand fall back onto the sheets. He looked so different when he was asleep. The determined fire that fueled his expression daily had dimmed to a low simmer. His hair was all over the place, but he hardly experienced the bedhead that Annie woke up to every morning.

"Hey, Raeger." She tried again to wake him, this time shaking a little more forcefully.

"Annie," he groaned, swatting his hand in the air, trying and failing to make some sort of contact with her skin.

"It's funny. I would've pegged you for a morning person," she said, grabbing his arm and pinning it back at his side.

"Looks like you _are _a morning person." He opened one eye to give her a sarcastic look before closing it and snuggling into the pillow again.

"Only because I know there's work to be done. Your crops should nearly be ready for the antique show." Annie climbed out of bed and walked towards the door. "I'm going to go get some eggs for breakfast."

Raeger responded, but it was so muffled by the pillow that Annie didn't catch it.

The fresh summer air was a welcomed sensation as she tried to gather her thoughts. Her entire body was a constant reminder of him, though. The faintest scent of his cologne on her sweatshirt, the remaining warmth of his skin against hers, the sound of his steady breathing ringing in her ears. She shook her entire body out in one jolt—praying that he wasn't watching her from the window—as she tried to rid him from her being. She had a job to do. He had a job to do, too. And falling into feelings that may or may not be permanent wasn't part of that job.

She collected eggs from the coop faster than usual, eager to get back to cook them. Normally, she sold all of the animal products and opted to eat cereal for breakfast. However, she was sure that Raeger would be expecting something a little bit classier than a dingy glass bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

When she opened the front door, she was surprised to see that Raeger was out of bed. And, not only that, but to her horror he was rifling through her kitchen cabinets.

"You've been more than generous letting me stay here while the storm passed," he said, his eyes sparkling with the passion that cooking produced within him. "So I took it upon myself to make a little something."

"How did you—?"

"You didn't have much, but you had enough fruit and some cream and honey to make a special parfait."

He held out a variety of berries with a creamy, honey drizzle on top in a glass cup. She stared at him in confused, slightly embarrassed awe.

"Thank you," she managed to say. "I brought some eggs. I was thinking of making a vegetarian omelet."

"Sounds great. I'll help."

With that, the pair began working together in the kitchen to cook breakfast. It was strange having Raeger right beside her. Annie was so used to cooking alone that she didn't even stop to consider the prospect of having someone to cook with. And now that she did, it felt…nice.

Soon, two berry parfaits and fluffy vegetarian omelets graced Annie's tiny dining table. They sat together and Annie practically inhaled her food once again.

"Do you even taste what you're eating?" Raeger asked, laughing as he watched her stuff three forkfuls in her mouth in the time he finished one.

"I'm usually too busy to fully enjoy meals," she admitted, swallowing.

"Well, I've got an idea. How about after work, you stop by the restaurant and I'll force you to savor a new dish?" Raeger asked, smiling at her like it was a suggestion he frequently made.

Annie felt her cheeks flush. He really didn't realize the repercussions of the things he asked.

"I guess I could try," she mumbled sheepishly, staring at her plate and pushing a stray green onion around with her fork.

"Then it's settled," Raeger said, standing up and placing his napkin on the table. "I'll help you clean, but then I've got to get to work."

Annie nodded and they cleaned in comfortable silence.

* * *

"Stupid Raeger. Stupid, nonchalant flirting. Stupid, weird girl brain."

Annie had been muttering to herself for a majority of the rest of the day. She was so frustrated with the way that she was feeling that even her animals were able to pick up on it. Woolly and Curly—her sheep—shied away when she tried to brush them as if they were afraid her stress-brushing would end up painfully shearing them. Even Hanako and Millie were wary when Annie made her way over towards them with the brush.

"You understand, don't you, Hanako?" she asked as she sat beside the cow with a bucket.

Hanako merely blinked at her with her large brown eyes. As Annie began to milk her, Hanako became entirely uninterested in the rest of the one-sided conversation.

"If I see Raeger tonight, it'll just make my feelings for him worse," Annie continued. "And I don't even want to think about what would happen if he liked me back. I guess I can't avoid him forever, though. I don't want to make things awkward if they don't need to be. Hanako, what would you do if you were in my place?"

No response.

"I guess I wouldn't expect you to answer." Annie laughed, shaking her head at her own bizarre behavior. "I'll just go down there tonight, eat the dish and leave. Keep things light and friendly. No flirting. Just a regular, uneventful taste test."

* * *

She knocked on the door to the restaurant after everyone else left. When Raeger appeared, Annie immediately held her breath and pushed away any feelings that were attempting to surface.

"It's already ready," he said proudly, holding the door open for her to step inside.

"Someone was a little eager," she said, sitting at the bar and looking at the bowl in front of her.

Now it was Raeger's turn to blush.

"Sorry," he said, running one hand through his hair—an obvious nervous habit. "You've just got such a neat, honest perspective. I couldn't wait to hear what you thought."

Annie remembered when he asked her to taste test his strawberry lemonade cake. She was honest with him then. And, despite her little crush, she was sure she could be honest now.

She took the spoon and sunk it into what looked to be some sort of chocolate mousse with chunks of brownie dusted with powdered sugar and topped with whipped cream. She took the first bite slowly, remembering Raeger's suggestion to savor it.

"This is really good," Annie said, completely unashamed of the fact that she was quite boisterously talking with her mouth open.

Raeger laughed, loudly and fully. Annie rarely heard him laugh like that and it shook her to her core with happiness. He then leaned forward, his arms stretching across the polished wood on the tabletop. He was only a few inches away from her face when he finally stopped and she could feel his hot breath against her cheeks. Spearmint and cinnamon, an interesting yet utterly intoxicating combination.

Annie quickly swallowed and her throat ached as the partially chewed mush tried to squeeze its way down. She couldn't help but hold her breath as she watched his eyes search her own.

Then, after a painstakingly long beat, he said, "You've got whipped cream on your upper lip."

Annie nodded, closing her eyes as he spoke. Once she registered what he actually said, her eyes snapped back open and she began to splutter. "Oh, umm, thank you, I'll just take care of that right—"

She reached for a napkin but Raeger grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry about it," he said, his voice a delicate, low murmur.

Before Annie had time to realize what was happening, a pair of warm, soft lips gently collided with her own. As she fumbled awkwardly against him, he moved almost effortlessly in suit, capturing her movements in a way that made them entirely more graceful.

She closed her eyes and sighed into his lips, eventually finding the ability to kiss him back. It was like all of her senses channeled in on Raeger and then exploded with a vibrantly intense burn. His cologne and the faint aroma of cocoa powder engulfed her like a giant, warm bubble. The spearmint and cinnamon in his breath threatened to intoxicate her with every kiss. His hands, worn and coated in powdered sugar from the homemade brownie bites, brushed against her cheeks, leaving trails of white dust as his fingertips grazed her skin.

Annie brought her hands from their resting place on his chest back onto the table. The clang that followed startled them both out of the kiss and returned them to a hazy reality. Her spoon had been launched from the table to the floor when she put her hand down, and it was rocking against the tile, a lingering ringing sound emitting from it.

Sheepishly, she looked back up at him. He was smiling, his eyes practically glowing, and his cheeks a shade pinker. She was positively burning, her skin set alight with fire where his fingertips and lips had touched.

"You've got powdered sugar on your cheeks," Raeger said, wiping his hands on his apron and then reaching out to brush it off.

His fingers were surprisingly warm despite the fact that her skin felt like it was hot enough to fry an egg. She found her eyes wanting to flutter shut, to bask in the calm and gentleness that was Raeger, but she resisted.

It was just a kiss. It wasn't like he asked her out.

"It's funny," he said, almost too quietly, like he was talking to himself.

"Hmm?" Annie asked, blinking a few times to try and rid herself of the kiss-induced daze.

"I've known you for three years and I can't believe I never tried this sooner," he said.

Annie smiled slyly. "Well it could be because you used to shoo me out of your restaurant when I first moved here."

Raeger's eyes widened and his lips contorted into a small, sad frown. "You're kidding…."

Annie shook her head. "But I get it. The town wasn't nearly as lively as it is now and you wanted to honor your grandfather's memory by bringing in more business. A chatty-Kathy farm girl wasn't part of that agenda."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm definitely going to be mentally kicking myself for this."

She giggled and squeezed his hand. "Seriously, don't worry about it."

Raeger looked at the clock and it was almost like she could see the romantic light in his eyes draining. Draining back to the hardened, organized Raeger that owned and singlehandedly ran the only restaurant in town.

"It's late," he said.

Annie nodded, feeling the haze leave her brain like someone had just poured cold water on her head. "I should probably get going."

She slowly stood up from her seat, like she was wishfully hoping that he would kiss her goodbye. Like this wasn't the first and only time it was going to happen.

"Thank you," Raeger said as she stood in the doorframe.

"There's nothing to thank me for," Annie said, smiling at him.

He shook his head. "You're pretty smart, Annie," he said. "But sometimes I don't think you realize things that you should pick up on."

"Guess you'll just have to tell me then."

"I guess I will."

They shared eye contact and a smile until the door shut behind her. She felt ridiculous standing out in the middle of the night with a giant grin on her face, but it couldn't be helped. The chemistry between them was like someone had lit a fire in the deepest, darkest parts of her.

She had to talk to someone about it. It was late and she would probably get a royal beat down for even attempted to wake up the princess, but Elise was her best friend and she needed someone to screw her head back on straight.


	6. Some Pretty Rich Advice

**Quick Info~**

The wait for this chapter was far longer than I intended, and for that I apologize! I just want to make sure I put my best work out there and I didn't have enough time to properly edit it with my schedule this past week. However, it's here! It's short and simple, but it's here! I love exploring the other characters that aren't directly influencing the plot. So much so that they sometimes become my favorite people to write dialogue for (Elise is definitely up there on that list!).

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Many continued thanks to all of you wonderful people!

* * *

Elise perfectly embodied confusion and irritation when she finally answered Annie's persistent knocks.

"I knew I should have hired graveyard shift help," Elise said, adjusting the dozens of tiny curlers in her hair and blinking away her sleepiness.

"I'm sorry," Annie said. "I didn't know who else to talk to."

Elise's irritation slowly melted away as Annie spoke. "Alright, I guess you can come inside."

She opened the door and Annie felt the knot of tension in her chest begin to dissipate as she stood among the variety of plush, extravagantly pink decorations. They walked up the main flight of stairs that was probably large enough to fit ten people walking side-by-side, and Elise ushered Annie into her room.

They sat on Elise's bed and Annie immediately sunk down into a few feet of feathery softness.

"So what's wrong?" Elise asked, yawning widely.

"I know you're going to think I'm crazy," Annie started, unsure of how to put what she was feeling into words.

"I already do." Elise was smiling, although her tone was rather matter-of-fact.

"Anyway, you know Raeger…."

Elise raised an eyebrow. Annie hesitated and refused to meet her gaze.

"Well, about a week ago, you told me about your plan to try and convince Raeger to use your crops for the Antique Showcase tomorrow," Annie said.

Elise nodded and eyed her slyly. "Of course. But I'm also aware of our rivalry as farmers and if Raeger accepted your crops I'm not going to completely cut you out of my life."

"No, it's just—"

"Although I might have to start taking your farm a little more seriously."

"Elise, I—"

"Raeger is quite the tricky one to please. I'm surprised you were able to convince him that—"

"Elise!" Annie said, a little too forcefully and a little too loud.

Elise blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry," she said, backing down. "You talk and I'll just listen, okay?"

"Thank you. Anyway, yes I did ask him to use my crops and, yes, he agreed to it. But that's not the problem. We've been spending an awful lot of time together recently, so that he could check out my crops and stuff."

Elise's eyes widened and she grabbed Annie by the shoulders. "I know exactly where this is going," she said, each syllable rising with excitement.

Annie felt herself smiling right along with Elise, although her brain was reeling with hundreds of different thoughts and feelings.

"Tonight I went to his restaurant to taste-test and we sort of, kind of ended up…kissing." Annie shut her eyes tight, afraid to see Elise's reaction.

Elise merely held up a single finger in thought and nodded once. "You know, I really should have taken you more seriously. You just successfully beat every other girl in town and probably the city, too."

Annie sighed and rolled her eyes. "If I viewed him as some sort of a prize then maybe, yeah."

"But you're in love with him, so he's not just a prize," Elise said.

"I don't know about that," Annie said, her cheeks heating for the umpteenth time that night. "But I do like him, and that's completely terrifying."

"So go for it," Elise said.

"What?"

She smiled and shook her head, taking Annie's hands in her own. "Do what I do and go for it head-first. Don't think about it; just do it. It's what you want, right?"

Annie dropped her gaze to the floor and pulled her hands away from Elise before setting them in her lap. "Yeah, but if we broke up…."

"You can't think about stuff like that." Elise grabbed Annie's cheeks in between her thumb and fingers, forcing her to look her straight in the eyes. "Who successfully left everything behind on a whim to start a new life on a crappy piece of property?"

"Me," Annie said, her words squished in between Elise's fingers.

"Who successfully earned the title of best friend from the most complicated, most wonderful girl in town?" Elise asked, cockily bringing her free hand to her chest in praise.

"Me," Annie said sourly.

Elise released Annie's cheeks from her grasp and stared at her seriously. "If you would have given up before you even started those things, you would be living in the city and never would have known of my existence. Sounds pretty awful, if I do say so myself."

She was giving Annie her signature, million-dollar smile. It was the one she used to win over judges in competitions or to get her hired hands to work overtime. Annie knew it was a strong tactic, and she knew it well.

Nevertheless, Elise was right. Annie never shied away from a challenge because it seemed too hard or the outcome could possibly be failure. Her innate strength was something she always prided herself on. But it seemed that whenever Raeger was around, that strength began to crumble as if it were merely sand sifting through her fingers.

"I just don't want to ruin the dynamic of the town," Annie said, deciding that would be the best—and also least selfish—way to respond.

Elise laughed. "It won't. You know, before you came here, Iris and Klaus dated each other on and off. It lasted for years and some of the townspeople put bets on whether or not they'd get married someday. We don't exactly live in a place with a lot of entertainment and the old people get a kick out of seeing us flounder in romance."

Annie knew that Iris and Klaus were quite close, but they always denied that they were lovers. She grimaced at the thought. She didn't want to pretend like she and Raeger never dated if whatever they had ended badly.

Elise could see the mental torment that Annie was going through and she gently forced Annie to look at her once again.

"We would all be really happy for you," she said. "And, as much as I hate to admit it, you pretty much saved this town. We're _thriving_ because of you. Don't let us be the reason that you can't thrive, too."

Annie nodded, feeling as though a weight was starting to lift off of her shoulders. Not only could she do anything she set her mind to, but the entire town would have her back. And, deep down, she knew she would mentally kick herself forever if she didn't at least go on one date with Raeger.

"So when should I make my move?" she asked sheepishly.

Elise was beaming. "Tomorrow night. At the Antique Showcase. I'm coming to your house with some friends and we're going to help you get ready for it."

"I was just going to wear this," Annie said, gesturing to her everyday earthy-toned dress and apron.

"You might beat me at festivals, dating, and acquiring plots of land, but I will always be superior to you when it comes to fashion," Elise said haughtily. "Now, please, go get some much needed beauty sleep."

She pointed towards the door and Annie took it as her queue to leave. As she just about to exit the room, she heard Elise clear her throat.

"And just so you know, I'll be getting my revenge for you barging in on me so late at night," she added.

Annie rolled her eyes but still managed a giggle. She was going to have a long, sleepless night ahead of her.


	7. Trust Me

**Quick Info**~

It's been quite awhile since I posted! So many things have been happening in my life. I moved to a different city, started my sophomore year at a new college, and am generally just trying to figure out what the hell adult life is supposed to be. Thankfully, the muses came back to me and I was able to finish this chapter! I hope you guys are still excited to check this out. I know I'm excited to post it! Since I spend so much time wooing the bachelors, often times the ladies of the game go unnoticed. If any of the bachelorettes seem slightly OOC, I apologize in advance! Anyway, hope you enjoy this cute and quirky chapter! Thank you to everyone who has been reading/reviewing/favoriting/following, even through this two month break. P.S. 10 points if you spot the cameo from another Harvest Moon game. ;)

* * *

"If you don't open this door right now I'm going to kick it down!"

Elise's voice bellowed through the walls with the power and intensity of an earthquake. Annie groaned and pulled her pillow over her head, stuffing the fabric hard against her ears. Even though she was used to waking up the second the sun rose, this morning was different.

She spent the better half of the night asking Elise for advice and the rest of it worrying about the advice she received. By the time sleep eventually dragged her under, she could already hear the first few birds chirping outside her window.

"Elise isn't joking!" a higher-pitched voice musically said.

Agate was there. And from the muffled chattering Annie heard, she wasn't the only one. Did Elise really recruit all of the girls to help her?

Annie swung her legs over the side of the bed and inched her toes into a pair of fluffy pink slippers that Elise gave her for her birthday last winter. She hardly wore them on a daily basis, but she knew that Elise would instantly notice if she wasn't.

"Give me a second," Annie yelled, trying to sound chipper as she ran to the sink to splash cool water on her face.

"You don't have to look like some sort of goddess," Elise said, pounding on the door. "That defeats the purpose of us being here."

Annie rolled her eyes, opened the door, and was met with Oak Tree Town's gaggle of young adult women. Each held various products for making Annie less "girl-next-door" and a lot more, well, mysteriously sexy.

Iris was holding a makeup bag, stained with foundation and sparkly eye shadow, but still extravagantly designed. Lillie was holding some sort of plastic contraption with hair curlers large enough to resemble spools of thread lined in rows inside. Angela held a shoebox with some fancy, foreign designer name on the side. Elise had a dress wrapped in plastic from the same designer as the shoes—"Sonata Tailoring." Even Licorice was there to provide a tiny bottle of nail polish that Elise must have told her to grab from her bathroom cabinet.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Elise grabbed Annie's arm and dragged her towards the bathroom.

There was hardly room for Annie to comfortably move in the bathroom when she was by herself, but adding all of the extra girls made the space almost unbearably tight. The curlers were plugged in, makeup was flying in and out of Iris' bag, Annie's feet were stuffed in her heels, and both of her hands were held by Licorice and Agate as they swiftly painted her nails.

"I know it seems too early to get ready, but Mistel and I thought that an early afternoon show followed by dinner afterwards would best suit our customers. After all, no one likes rush hour traffic, especially in the city," Iris said, smearing some sort of cream on Annie's cheeks.

"Alright ladies, we've got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. Raeger needs to realize that Annie is the most beautiful woman in all of Oak Tree Town—besides myself, of course—and the only way to achieve that is if we snuff the farm girl out of her like it never existed!" Elise said, balling her hand into a fist and slamming it against her other palm.

"Don't you think that this is all a bit much?" Annie asked, squirming as she sat on top of the bathroom counter. "What happened to inner beauty?"

Elise smiled. "You already have more than enough of that."

Annie sighed. "So then shouldn't the outside not matter so much?"

"Let me tell you a thing or two about stories like this," Iris started.

Annie winced as Lillie shoved curlers into her hair. Her hair was far too long and thick for the amount of curlers she brought.

"From what I've heard, Raeger is obviously into you and you're obviously into him. That was just the rising action. If you want to write a successful love story, there has to be a climax. Just picture it, Annie. You walk into the room where Raeger is already proudly serving his finest dishes to important city folk. He looks up, sees you, and stops talking mid-sentence. Then, when he calls you over to introduce you as the provider of the ingredients for his fine dishes, he says, 'this is my girlfriend, Annie. At least, I hope she'll be my girlfriend someday.'"

Iris' eyes were closed as she relayed the tale, doing her best to imitate Raeger's smooth tenor. The rest of the girls exchanged a combination of looks ranging from dreamy to disgusted.

Annie felt her stomach flip-flop. "You're honestly such a fantastic writer, Iris. But I'm just not sure I've got what it takes to be the heroine of that story."

"Fake it 'til you make it," Elise said, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Annie remained silent for the rest of the process. The girls refused to let her look in a mirror until their work was done. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of nearly burning her scalp on curlers and having an itch on her nose that recently nail-polished fingers couldn't scratch, her ensemble was complete.

"Ready?" Angela asked, holding out her hand for Annie to grab.

Annie nodded and stood before turning around to look in the mirror. Her hair, which was normally tied up, was now resting in light curls on her back. Her eyelashes were full and dark, complimenting the smoky eye shadow dusted with silver sparkles. Her cheeks, though normally pink, glowed with a rosy, golden blush.

Since the event was more formal, her dress was rather form fitting, complete with long sleeves and lace. Her heels added a solid four inches to her measly 5'2 stature. It was almost like looking at a complete stranger for the first time. When she used to live in the city as a teenager, her appearance was something that she was supposed to take pride in. Now, she barely recognized the face staring back at her in the mirror, even though all of the reflection's actions mimicked her own.

"Wow," she said, almost inaudibly.

"What do you think?" Agate asked, grabbing Annie's arm and squeezing it excitably.

She turned around and faced the group, eagerly awaiting her response. "Thank you," she said. "This was really sweet of you guys."

"Anything was an improvement from that frumpy farm dress," Elise said, but Annie knew that she was secretly proud of her hard work.

"I didn't realize it was so late!" Iris said suddenly, glancing at the clock in Annie's bedroom. "Annie, you have to help Raeger prep for the dishes and I have to get dressed."

Annie felt her stomach leap into her throat as her palms immediately began to sweat. Iris ushered her out of the house and rushed down the path towards the Antique Shop. Annie followed clumsily, feeling like she was learning how to walk for the first time again.

When they finally got to the shop, she felt painful blisters already beginning to form around her ankles and toes. Iris wistfully disappeared into her bedroom and left Annie alone in the middle of the presentation room.

Pedestals varying in size lined the walls, each object on top resting underneath thick, gray sheets. Annie could just picture Mistel meticulously arranging all of the pedestals and choosing which antiques would fit best in each spot.

"Iris told me that it would be alright to start setting up now since the guests—"

Annie heard Raeger's voice in the entryway and she practically froze. A tidal wave of doubt washed over her, drenching her in insecurities about her appearance.

"Annie?" Raeger asked.

She turned around and smiled at him sheepishly, avoiding the shooting pain making it's way through her foot as the first blister popped.

"Iris told me that I was supposed to help you set up," she said.

Raeger nodded. "I wouldn't want to prepare your vegetables wrong since you'll be under just as much criticism as me. That's why you look so different, right?"

"Oh, this?" Annie rubbed the lacy fabric on her dress in between her fingers nervously. "No, I basically became a canvas for all of the girls in town to experiment with their cosmetology skills."

Raeger laughed. "Well to their credit, I think you look absolutely beautiful. Although, it's kind of impossible to look more beautiful than you do naturally."

"Smooth," Annie mumbled, although she felt her cheeks burn.

They unpacked his cooking station in flirtatious silence. Each stealing glances and quickly averting their gaze once the other noticed. It was a strange feeling for Annie, and one that she regularly avoided because of it. But she couldn't help it with Raeger. It was like he came with feelings that radiated into her.

When they finished setting up the station, Raeger looked proudly at their work. It was a cute little table, complete with a stovetop in the middle and cabinets underneath to store ingredients and cooking utensils.

"Are you nervous about meeting all of these supposedly pretensions people Iris and Mistel invited?" Annie asked.

"Not really. City people tend to like me. I think it's because they think I'm one of them. I always wonder what they would say if I told them that I've lived in Oak Tree Town longer than I lived in the city," Raeger mused, slicing one of Annie's cucumbers on a cutting board.

"Well I wish I had your confidence because I lived in the city longer than you and I'm terrified." Annie shook her head, dropping her gaze to the floor and her perfectly polished toes.

"Once they taste the crops you grew and the food I turned them into, it's not going to matter where you're from. Trust me," Raeger said.

And she did. Without doubts or further questioning. She wanted to believe everything that he said the instant that he said it. It took her awhile to realize that they had been slowly leaning towards each other, her head tilting upward to meet his tall stature. The familiar smell of spearmint and cinnamon brushed against her cheeks when he exhaled. Her eyelashes, heavy from the mascara, began to flutter shut.

"Alright everybody, let's get to work! The first guests should be arriving shortly!"

Mistel's booming voice and clapping hands snapped her out of her trance. Blushing furiously, Annie jumped back. Raeger only laughed and returned to his cooking. If Annie survived this night, she'd be equipped to handle anything.


	8. Annie's Cake

**Quick Info~**

I'm so unbelievably excited to post this chapter! Remember the cameo that a certain town made in the previous chapter? Well, it's back! This time it's way more obvious than the previous one. I like to think that Oak Tree Town might be one of the first towns in the Harvest Moon universe (that is, if we're assuming that they all take place in the same universe). Part of my reasoning for thinking this is because of Dessie, since she's such a young harvest goddess. But, whatever the case may be, for the purposes of this story, Oak Tree Town should be taking place before the rise of Castanet (AKA the town in HM: Animal Parade). Once again a HUGE thank you to everyone reading this! New readers, welcome! Please don't hesitate to leave me a comment if you have anything to say! I love hearing from all of you. :)

* * *

"This is absolutely delicious! What type of dressing is on it?"

Annie's stomach had been in a continuous knot since the Antique Show started. Raeger was so busy cooking that Annie was often put on socialization duty. As the resident farmer and ingredient provider for all of the dishes, the public expected her to know every miniscule thing there was to know about cooking.

Part of her wanted to sarcastically answer that since it has turnips in it, it's probably seasoned with the finest manure—or, in fancy terms, 'fertilizer'—and really old dirt. But tonight was Raeger's night to shine, so she bit her tongue and continued to provide the nitty-gritty details to city food blogger after city food blogger.

"I'm not exactly sure, sir, let me check with the head chef," Annie said, smiling her friendliest smile and turning to ask Raeger.

He was so smooth that sometimes she questioned if he ever experienced stress, or even had pores for that matter. He tossed stir-fry with one hand while the other grabbed more ingredients for future dishes.

"You're the mastermind behind these dishes?" the man asked, peaking his out from behind Annie.

Raeger nodded. "Everything you're tasting tonight was made by me and provided by Annie, our resident farmer."

"Oh, my! Well, your talents certainly haven't gone unnoticed, boy," he said, chuckling.

"Thank you, sir. I sincerely appreciate it," Raeger said modestly.

Annie couldn't help but feel her heart sore with pride for her little town. Even though Oak Tree Town was barely a blip on the map, they managed to draw people from all over simply because of a few old artifacts. She guessed that it was one of the plus sides to living in a town that's practically as old as the dinosaurs; old artifacts were about as common as grains of sand on the beach.

The man licked his fingers clean and extended his hand to Annie. "Ah, where are my manners? My son would be appalled that I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Hamilton. I'm the Mayor of a little island about three or four hours off of the coast. It's called 'Castanet.' Perhaps you've heard of it?"

"I'm afraid I haven't. I lived in the city my whole life until I moved here three years ago," Annie said, shaking his hand and trying not to grimace at its wetness.

Hamilton sighed. "Doesn't surprise me. We aren't exactly well known. In fact, our little town is just about as barren as Oak Tree was before you came here. Anyway, keep up the fantastic work, you two! Maybe you can send some recipes our way sometime?"

"Absolutely," Raeger said, nodding.

As Hamilton walked away, Annie stared after him with curiosity. "He was weirdly social," she said.

"Yeah, there's apparently a handful of little unknown towns like that here tonight. Veronica is freaking out. It's like a mayor convention or something," Raeger said as he effortlessly plated four more perfectly executed ratatouilles.

"All because of the Antique Show?" Annie asked.

"In part. But most of them are just inspired by how far we've come. We used to be pretty much bankrupt before you came here. When you opened up the trade depots, the economy skyrocketed for a lot of towns."

"I don't like taking credit for all of it," Annie said, shaking her head and feeling warm with embarrassment.

"Elise, Giorgio, and Fritz helped, too. Does that make it better?" Raeger asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

Annie stuck her tongue out at him.

He ignored her and returned his concentration to preparing the dessert portion of the evening. "Anyway, I know that we're all really happy that you came here. Although, I think I might have lucked out more than the others."

Annie wasn't sure how to respond and, thankfully, she didn't have to. Iris tapped on the microphone set up on a makeshift stage in the living room. She looked absolutely elegant. Her hair was swept to the side in glamorous, movie star curls and she was wearing a skin-tight, sparkly black dress with a slit making its way considerably up her thigh. Her signature purple shawl was still draped elegantly over her arms.

"I hope you're all enjoying the event!" she said, her voice almost like velvet. "Unfortunately, it will all be coming to an end soon. Raeger, our head chef, is preparing a new dessert that he hopes you all love! Dubbed 'Annie's Cake.'"

Whatever Iris said after that Annie couldn't hear. Instead, her head whipped back towards Raeger, her mouth open in shock.

Raeger simply smiled at her as he poured lemon icing over pieces of strawberry lemonade cake. The cake that Annie taste-tested first. Unfortunately, she didn't get to say anything to him because a swarm of people gathered around the cooking station to grab a piece.

She felt her chest fill with warmth as she watched them eat. Unsure of what to say or do, she excused herself from the room and walked outside. The town was dimly lit with a few scattered streetlights, as the sun was almost finished setting, an expanse of stars melting into orange and dark blue.

She wasn't sure how long she sat out there, but it was long enough to hear frogs croaking and crickets chirping. It almost felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart, but instead of blood pouring out, her feelings were splattered all over the ground. They were so far mixed into each other that even if she tried to pick them back up, she wouldn't know which went where.

"The cake was a hit," Raeger said casually.

Annie jumped, not having heard him walk up. She held her hands in her lap and shook her head.

"You didn't have to name it after me," she said.

Raeger shrugged and sat beside her. "You tried it first."

They sat in silence for what seemed almost like an eternity. There were so many things that Annie wanted to ask him. Did he like her as much as she liked him? What did he think of their first kiss? Was there any way he could try and stop flirting with her so that things could go back to normal? Does he have this many questions about her?

Instead, she settled on saying, "I think you're the greatest chef in the world."

For Raeger, it was almost like she told him that she loved him.

"I think you're the greatest farmer in the world," Raeger said earnestly.

For Annie, it was almost like he told her that he loved her, too.

In the few moments that followed, Annie decided to swallow her fear. She knew that Raeger wanted to kiss her again, at least once, and she knew that if he did, she would kiss back. It was terrifying and exhilarating and everything that she never wanted to happen to her. But she couldn't stop it.

So, lifting her head, she hesitantly pressed her lips against his. He seemed surprised for a moment, but not at all unwelcoming. His hands soon found themselves in her hair, his warm fingertips against her neck making her shiver. She moved her own shaking hands to his chest, grabbing at silky fabric on his dress shirt.

The kiss was short, but filled with so much energy that, when they broke away, Annie felt a strange heat pooling in her stomach.

"This is confusing for you," Raeger said.

It wasn't a question, but rather, a blatant statement. Like he could tell from the way she kissed him.

Annie nodded, caught off guard by his bluntness.

"Yeah, me too," he admitted, laughing in a way that Annie had never heard before—a combination of nervousness and pure joy. "It's weird, though. I like it."

"Yeah," Annie said, smiling in spite of herself. "Me, too."

A pause. A deep breath.

"Annie, would you make this less confusing by coming on a date with me tomorrow night?" Raeger asked.

"A date?"

"Yeah. We can work out what all of this means and see if there's a future."

He was speaking so easily, like he had done it thousands of times. Meanwhile, Annie was attempting to speak, but her throat felt so tight she wasn't sure she would ever be able to again.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. I mean, I'll have to check my schedule, but okay."

_Stupid, _she thought.

"I'll pick you up around eight?" he asked, standing and extending his hand to help her up, too.

"Yeah, eight sounds great!"

"Alright, then. It's a date," Raeger said, laughing as Annie blushed furiously from her rhyme.

As Raeger walked back inside, there were only two things on Annie's mind. Firstly, how the hell she was going to survive a date with Raeger. Secondly, if there were any slices of cake left over.


End file.
